“Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Anonymous
One of the first principles within my teaching philosophy is represented best by this quote. I believe that as a teacher, one of the most important pieces of the job is to demonstrate that you truly care about each and every one of your students. When students feel as though you are cheering them on and rooting for their success, they will try even harder to make you proud and begin to feel proud of their own work and achievements. As a teacher, we must take on the role of each student's personal cheerleader, which can seem overwhelming, but it is a job that is bountifully rewarding.
“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.”
(Mark Van Doren)
Another principle within my teaching philosophy is a part of Montessori's educational theory. She believes that education should include students actively seeking knowledge and questioning the world around them. This quote represents the idea that as teachers, we should take on the role of assisting discovery. I believe this is embodied in a classroom where students are continuously engaged and pursuing knowledge rather than sitting in a room where information and facts are recited for memorization.
“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”
(Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Estrada)
A third piece of my teaching philosophy is influenced by Howard Gardner. He believed that there are multiple intelligences, including auditory, bodily and kinesthetic, musical, logical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and more. I believe that this theory is true, and that as teachers, it is one of our jobs to try to teach students in different ways so that each intelligence type is engaged and included. Many lessons that are geared towards reaching multiple intelligence types not only reach students academically, but they also encourage the development of creativity.